The facility is located in Tal-Kus, at the limits of Xewkija, adjacent to Tal-Kus Civic Amenity Site. The project represents an investment value of roughly €10 million which was co-financed through EU funds (Cohesion Fund 2007-2013).

This state-of-the-art facility has three main functions. Primarily, the Materials Recovery Facility will provide the necessary pre-treatment for dry recyclables, mainly from bring-in-sites and households, so that they can be sorted and baled prior to further treatment. These dry recyclables will be sorted into plastics, paper, cardboard and metals using a semi-automated mechanical process. They will then be delivered directly to their respective destinations, where the final treatment process or export will take place.

Secondly, the facility will also receive 12,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) every year, which will then be efficiently compacted in hermetically sealed containers and transferred to Malta for further treatment. In addition, the third process consists of shredding of bulky waste where possible and transfer of this material to Malta.

The MRF & Transfer Station bridges the gap between Malta and Gozo, so that the Maltese Islands can have an effective waste management system on both islands, and thus reducing the need for transportation to Malta. Once compacted, MSW is taken to the MBT in the North of Malta.

The transfer station represents a positive shift towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly system of waste management, where recycling and recovery are the way forward. This development will continue to increase public awareness of the need for positive waste management and contribute towards the recovery of the resources from our waste stream.